Dave Matthews Band have announced likely one of your Christmas/Holiday gifts for the year, Live Trax 46: 7/7/18 from Deer Creek, I mean, Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center in Noblesville, IN. Preorders are taking place now, and if you do you'll get an eight track Summer Tour 2018 Extended bonus disk (more on that later.) Shipments and digital downloads happen on December 7th (the day of the Boston fall tour show) and also in time for your significant other to get it wrapped.

The show is the 2nd night of the two night stand. You may recall that the first night was live broadcast on SiriusXM, making the night two show a better fit for release (Pig and The Stone be damned.) But night two was new touring band member Buddy Strong's birthday (with fan serenade), and the birthday man himself spoke with Relix Magazine and described the show (and the Two Step particularly) as “the happiest I’ve been about music in a long, long time. That was the best night I’ve had with this band. [Drummer Carter Beauford] started playing, and I couldn’t believe it. It’s like we’d released the beast." Turns out that was the first time Buddy played Two Step "period" (we discuss this on Ants Podcast 99), and was quite taken by where the song goes live.

The show features 20 songs, 5 from new album Come Tomorrow and 5 from Under the Table and Dreaming mark the largest album presence. Surprisingly it's a show without Samurai Cop or Louisiana Bayou, the top played 2018 summer tour songs, but don't worry the bonus disk picks up the slack. Typical opener of That Girl Is You is nice to have official live release of full band version. While the 6th official live release of Can't Stop, this will be the first of the newer Carter focused style. Personal tour highlight of Lying in the Hands of God with the American Baby Intro Outro with Bourbons & Lacs horns makes it as part of this show, along with fan favorite Dancing Nancies into Warehouse. And finally the highlight of the live show (not as much the release) is the 21 minute Two Step (only 1 of 2 from 2018 summer tour.)

The pick of the latest Live Trax as a 2018 show is an obvious emphasis on the latest album and if that wasn't enough, the extended bonus deal seals the deal. Four of the eight bonus tracks are from Come Tomorrow, making a total of 8 Come Tomorrow tracks as part of this release, leaving only 4 off; She (a bit of a surprise that it doesn't show up), When I'm Weary (features Batson, and guests seem to be avoided for releases), Black and Blue Bird (previously released on Live Trax, no sweat), and Virginia In The Rain (they aren't playing the album version live). 2018 tour veteran Louisiana Bayou, and to a lesser extent Stand Up also appear on the bonus disk. Your feelings toward the bonus disk likely mimic your filings from the 2018 tour. Reminder: you need to order through the Warehouse to get the full 8 track bonus.

Two discs that contain genuine unreleased studio recordings from the Mark Batson era are making their rounds on the Internet. And so we had to call an emergency podcast session to talk about this latest development. In this pod we talk about the history of these sessions dating back to 2006 and what we know up to this point. Also high-level feelings about the recordings, but a much deeper look into why there is a stark difference between the amount of music the band creates vs how much it releases.

While Apple's built in Podcast app is a great app for listening to the Ants Podcast, an alternative that some might enjoy has emerged: Overcast. Overcast is a great, free podcast app that has gained a lot of popularity since its release. If you're looking for another app for your Ants Podcast fix, give it a try!

In what appears to be a major leak of unreleased studio material, two discs worth of sessions from the Stand Up era are in circulation. After nearly 12 years under lock and key, and nearly three months since these rumors first broke, Ants can confirm that these two discs contain genuine unreleased studio recordings from the Mark Batson era, and are making their rounds on the Internet. Longtime, hardcore fans would be forgiven if that sentence instills a sense of deja vu; In early 2001, shortly after the release of Everyday, the sessions that had been recorded with Steve Lillywhite, and ultimately aborted, found their way to the Internet as well, and are affectionately referred to today as "The Lillywhite Sessions."

Well, it appears that Mr. Lillywhite has some company. "The Batson Sessions," apparently from two separate recording efforts in 2006, have leaked. Three disks at a minimum are known to be part of the Batson Sessions. Two of those discs at this point have leaked. Each disc representing a different studio sessions; 1 from Spring of 2006 with 16 tracks and another from Winter 2006 with 17 tracks. 15 tracks are up to this point unheard, and contain 18 alternate versions of songs we already have heard. Why "The Batson Sessions?" you may ask? For those not familiar, Mark Batson was the producer on the band’s 2005 release, Stand Up, and news at the time had the band and Mr. Batson eager to return to the studio, with claims that there was a bunch more material to be laid down. Rumors persisted that Stand Up Part 2 was imminently on its way. That ultimately never came to fruition, and the band would move onto Rob Cavallo for their next album, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. The wave of material that was supposedly recorded never saw the light of day, and very little evidence of the sessions has since come out.

That all changed back in July of this year, when a photo began circulating amongst the fanbase of three "demo" CDs. The conversation spilled onto the Ants Forums, and a grassroots community effort made attempts to get access to the discs. While hope was high that the discs could be obtained and ultimately spread throughout a community clamoring for unreleased Dave Matthews Band material, the thread initially ran cold and it was assumed that efforts were unsuccessful. Whether those efforts are directly connected to recent events, or if the discs made it out via other means, the community’s wishes appear to have been granted.

Gorge Night 2 gets blessed with a new guest, and an amazing performance of Last Stop. Where did that come from, and will they sustain this momentum for night 3?

While Apple's built in Podcast app is a great app for listening to the Ants Podcast, an alternative that some might enjoy has emerged: Overcast. Overcast is a great, free podcast app that has gained a lot of popularity since its release. If you're looking for another app for your Ants Podcast fix, give it a try!

Matt and Joe have arrived in George, WA and are ready to get down to business! They broadcast live from poolside at Sunserra resort and offer their thoughts on the (then) upcoming three night stand at the Gorge. Matt drops an interesting theory about how you are introduced to the band ultimately affects your perspective and taste in DMB (or any band). We're psyched for an amazing weekend!

While Apple's built in Podcast app is a great app for listening to the Ants Podcast, an alternative that some might enjoy has emerged: Overcast. Overcast is a great, free podcast app that has gained a lot of popularity since its release. If you're looking for another app for your Ants Podcast fix, give it a try!

We try not to let the loss of an Ants staple get us down, so we remember the great times it created. We say goodbye to Mono Loco, the Ants HQ of Charlottesville, VA and a place where so many Ants met and celebrated together. But back on tour, four new shows are in the books and we discuss if there is such a thing as a SPAC hangover. Plus, the tour takes on a new ‘guests’ theme, and one particular show gets some unwanted attention. Also, Dave makes new comments about Boyd’s exit, drama in the setlist game standings, and we take on your #AntsPodcast questions.

While Apple's built in Podcast app is a great app for listening to the Ants Podcast, an alternative that some might enjoy has emerged: Overcast. Overcast is a great, free podcast app that has gained a lot of popularity since its release. If you're looking for another app for your Ants Podcast fix, give it a try!

A recent episode (premiering today) of podcast-newcomer iHeartRadio's series, "Inside the Studio," features a relatively intimate interview with Dave Matthews himself. Now, Dave Matthews has done plenty of interviews, and you could make an argument that most of them aren't all that noteworthy to the greater DMB fan community. However, this one stands somewhat alone in that Dave proves to be quite forthcoming about some major topics still in heated discussions within the community. Forbes.com has a write-up summarizing the interview, and there are some eye-popping comments.

The topic currently of most interest to the not-so-casual Dave Matthews Band fan would have to be the mystery and events surrounding the exit of long-time violinist Boyd Tinsley. On that topic, Dave dives in: "I think from the beginning we've been open to improvisation, to letting things go, but everything changes. I'd been struggling a bit with the band, with the sound of the band, or where we'd been going, and I think that's what led to Boyd stepping away. I think that bringing in Buddy Strong, there's this new ingredient that has changed all of us. And everyone changes. It's like, we're all looking at each other, thinking a whole different way."

Matthews continues: "There's been apprehension for a long time. I know the guys agree that Boyd certainly was a big part of the early part of the band, and it's remained because he's been there from the beginning, his powerful personality. He was there on stage, but, in rehearsals or in the studio his focus was really, it felt like to us, not in the room. And so, he was his own whirling dervish or his own storm, but that really worked beautifully sometimes. Other times it was very disoriented or seemed disconnected, and it was a frustration, and there was a lot of confrontation. But I'm a fiercely loyal person, and it took a long time for me to say, "Look, we need more from you. We need more focus on us." In that time when we're meant to be focusing on what we're doing, I've been having a really frustrating time getting to feel like he was putting in anything more than the bare minimum, and to get him to cop to that. That frustration, in combination with his own personal things led him to follow my advice and go to look after himself."

While that may be as forthcoming as we've seen Dave with regards to the in-band dynamic with regards to Boyd, the interview also brought us some other interesting nuggets, especially as it relates to Come Tomorrow. "In a weird way, it feels like this is the best stuff I've done, and I think GrooGrux was the most focused album because in the middle of it we lost LeRoi, so it had this real purpose that was behind it too, which was to pay homage," said Matthews. We'll let the community debate whether or not they agree with Dave that the latest album is the best stuff he's done, and we've shared our own thoughts on a previous version of the Ants Podcast. Dave also talks about his political views as well as what turning 50 has meant for his songwriting. All in all, a very interesting read (or listen). Check it out at forbes.com

Man, has the band put in some extra work recently. Days after the Creekend, DMB plays the first two Canada shows, followed by the tour-staple 2-night stand at SPAC, immediately capped by the final Canada show. The run produces the most interesting week of shows we’ve had all tour, so we must Dive In. Also, live show streams become more frequent than shows attended by Matt, but some exciting news on that front. And it wouldn’t be an AntsPodcast if we didn’t go on a bunch of tangents throughout. Plus we announce some new DMB Hub Stub badges coming out!

While Apple's built in Podcast app is a great app for listening to the Ants Podcast, an alternative that some might enjoy has emerged: Overcast. Overcast is a great, free podcast app that has gained a lot of popularity since its release. If you're looking for another app for your Ants Podcast fix, give it a try!

2018 has proven to be a year of change for Dave Matthews Band. From the exit of a core member of the band, a new guest touring member, a Howard Stern Show appearance to their own SiriusXM station, this year has been nothing short of frenetic. Given the pervasiveness of Periscope at live shows, it only makes sense to see the band get into the action and begin to offer a means to enjoy the show for those that aren't as fortunate to be there.

This Saturday, July 14th, Dave Matthews Band will stream a live show for the second time this summer, this time from Saratoga Performing Arts Center, known affectionately to all of us as SPAC, live via their YouTube page. The stream will be free to all, and represents a follow up to their first swing at a live-stream this year in Camden, NJ. The stream will be a strong follow-up to the night before, where the first performance of SPAC's two-night stand will be broadcast live on SiriusXM as part of DMB Radio's DMB Friday Night Concert Series. SPAC is always a summer staple for DMB fans, and having both nights streamed in some capacity will shine an even brighter light on the beloved venue.

DMB has been averaging an on-stage time of around 8:20pm ET this tour, so be sure to have your drink in hand and your browser tuned to www.dmblivestream.com with plenty of time to spare.

Following the holiday week, the band visited Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center, known to everyone else in the world as Deer Creek. Both night 1 and night 2 gave us a lot to discuss, including some interesting tour debuts, and setlists that are very relevant following last week's podcast on variety. We take a look if song debuts are a net-add to shows or just tokens. Also, DMB Radio on Sirius XM is now up and running which included live streaming of Friday's Night 1 concert. Plus we make time for your listener questions!

While Apple's built in Podcast app is a great app for listening to the Ants Podcast, an alternative that some might enjoy has emerged: Overcast. Overcast is a great, free podcast app that has gained a lot of popularity since its release. If you're looking for another app for your Ants Podcast fix, give it a try!